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The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

Say goodbye to the Legends and the Leaders.
The Big Ten will switch to two geographically defined divisions beginning in 2014 when the conference welcomes Maryland and Rutgers into the fold. As speculated, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa and Purdue will be in the West while Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers and Maryland will make up the East.

University chancellors and presidents are expected to approve the changes — and give a green light to a nine-game conference slate beginning in 2016 — next week.

Under the new plan, the only protected rivalry is Indiana-Purdue (always a barnburner).

The big winners in this brave new world? Clearly Wisconsin and Nebraska, who seem poised to paint the West red for the foreseeable future. The big loser? Michigan State, whose path to the conference title game will get exponentially more difficult.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

Ugh, why did we add Rutgers and Maryland? That's pretty much the most unnecessary thing ever.

Name of the game. Gets more money for the conference, and in turn all the schools. Gotta keep up with the Jonneses, more cash for facilities, coaches, marketing, players in some circumstances, blah blah blah. Either do it or get left behind.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

Name of the game. Gets more money for the conference, and in turn all the schools. Gotta keep up with the Jonneses, more cash for facilities, coaches, marketing, players in some circumstances, blah blah blah. Either do it or get left behind.

I understand the reasons, but **** me Rutgers is worthless. If we wanted to add Maryland that bad, fish around and wait for another school that isn't completely useless.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

It sure works out well for the ACC though. They ditch a has-been Maryland program and add Louisville, which is one of the finest athletic programs in the entire country right now. In fact, no program has had a better overall year than Louisville. Men's basketball championship, Sugar Bowl victory, women's basketball runner up, and their other sports always do really well too.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

Name of the game. Gets more money for the conference, and in turn all the schools. Gotta keep up with the Jonneses, more cash for facilities, coaches, marketing, players in some circumstances, blah blah blah. Either do it or get left behind.

I just wish we could add attractive schools, like how the ACC added Louisville. Rutgers is worthless and Maryland is a has-been. They aren't worth jacking up the conference and splitting up into "divisions".

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

How many people in the NYC market care about Rutgers aside from Rutgers grads? I'm guessing not many. It's like how the New Jersey Nets technically played in the NYC market. Sure they played in the largest metro area in the Untied States, but no one there cared about them.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

I just wish we could add attractive schools, like how the ACC added Louisville. Rutgers is worthless and Maryland is a has-been. They aren't worth jacking up the conference and splitting up into "divisions".

The Big Ten's academic requirements limit the potential new members. Louisville wouldn't get a Big Ten offer in a million years just because of that, let alone them adding nothing business wise.

And it doesn't matter how many people actually watch Rutgers. Them being a member gets the Big Ten Network on cable in NYC, that's huge cash.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

I honestly don't know why you guys are upset. We're going on a decade+ since a Big Ten team won a national title in either of the major sports but we're still the preeminent conference. Being a member of the conference is still a massive gold mine, the Big Ten makes a move and every other conference is caught in the aftershock. Jim Delanay is a mastermind. I don't want Rutgers or Maryland (who has the most recent Big Ten hoops title) anymore than anyone else, but I'm not about to begin to doubt Delanay.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

How many people in the NYC market care about Rutgers aside from Rutgers grads? I'm guessing not many. It's like how the New Jersey Nets technically played in the NYC market. Sure they played in the largest metro area in the Untied States, but no one there cared about them.

Those are the people who are going to want the Big Ten Network in their homes. Those are the people who are going to attend Rutgers and Maryland football games (and probably run the place like they do at Indiana). That's why the Big Ten went out and got them. It was a blatant money grab for the markets, not for the programs. Louisville doesn't offer the market, nor, as has been stated earlier, are they good enough academically.

Personally, I don't like 14 and hope they go to 16 with Virginia and Georgia Tech. Have 4 4 team divisions so you can play every team in the league at least once every 6 years, and have semifinals and a Big Ten championship game.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

Guys, I understand what it's about. Stop rehashing the alumni, the markets, the recruiting pipelines to DC/NYC, etc. I get all of that. I'm not blaming Delany for anything. I understand what it's about. It's the nature of the game. All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I don't like the game.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

Guys, I understand what it's about. Stop rehashing the alumni, the markets, the recruiting pipelines to DC/NYC, etc. I get all of that. I'm not blaming Delany for anything. I understand what it's about. It's the nature of the game. All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I don't like the game.

Yup, I understand the business reasons, but like you, I don't like it because it waters down the conference with one program that sucks and another that's a has-been. It just takes away from the classic Big-10 mystique.

Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

Classic Big Ten mystique that has been hurting the conference in football for how long now?

Maryland and Rutgers won't do squat to help us in football. They are mediocre/bad programs.

I'm not against expanding, but these schools add absolutely nothing from a quality-of-competition standpoint. They will dilute the conference.

I thought adding Nebraska was a good move because they historically have a solid football program. I wouldn't be against Maryland or Rutgers if they had quality programs in either of the two major sports. But they don't.

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Re: The Big Ten will split into East-West divisions in 2014

No Rutgers and Maryland arent juggernauts. But they are solid and out if the options out there for big ten expansion (there aren't a whole lot of options BTW). It pushes our conference schedule to 9 games which means less Youngstown states on the schedule.